Tight ends: Led by Orson Charles, strong UGA legacy poised to continue
We’re about one month away from the start of preseason football practices in Athens, so it’s time to take a closer look at Georgia’s 2011 football team. This is the third in a series during which we will break down each of the Bulldogs’ position groups to give you an idea of who the projected starters are and what the expectations might be. Then as always, we’ll throw it open for your commentary and analysis. There are only 60 days until Georgia’s season opener against Boise State. Time to get busy. . . .
There aren't many tight ends that can match the speed and athleticism of Georgia's Orson Charles, who promises to be a primary target for the Bulldogs this season. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
THE TIGHT ENDS:
- Projected starters: Orson Charles (Jr., 6-3, 241), Aron White (Sr., 6-4, 239)
- Others to watch: Sophomore Arthur Lynch (6-5, 272), who played as a true freshman, returns to action after a redshirt season and gives the Bulldogs some extra thump on running downs. True freshman Jay Rome will likely get some looks on offense and special teams.
- Key losses: The Bulldogs moved senior Bruce Figgins, a former starter at tight end, to fullback in the spring to shore up depth in the backfield.
- Key fact: Georgia has produced an enormous amount of tight end talent for the NFL, including Leonard Pope, Ben Watson, Randy McMichael, Jermaine Wiggins and several others. That legacy seems poised to continue.
- Key fact II: White has already graduated and was actually selected to be a student speaker at graduation ceremonies in December. He’s a team leader and probably underrated as a football player.
- Key question: Does Charles become the primary target for quarterback Aaron Murray? The two have played together since they were at Plant High in Tampa and the Bulldogs lost their go-to guy early to the NFL in wide receiver A.J. Green. It could argued that Charles, who has averaged 16.2 yards per catch the last two seasons, has been under-utilized with 49 receptions and 5 TDs in 26 games. He won’t be under-utilized this season.
- Recent developments: Georgia’s problems on the offensive line could actually translate into more dependence on this position. In a pro-style offense, it’s never certain whether the tight end is going to block or run a pass route. The Bulldogs can move Murray around in the backfield and hit Charles and White on quick patterns and keep outside linebackers and defensive ends on their heels. Don’t forget about the 6-6, 250-pound Rome. The AJC Super 11 selection out of Valdosta was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the nation at his position by ESPN and is expected to be a huge pass-catching threat. He will also be given the opportunity to show his stuff.
- Outlook: Excellent. This is unquestionably the strongest position on the team.
- Your turn: Your thoughts on the tight ends?
PREVIOUS POSITION BREAKDOWNS:
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
256 comments Add your comment
JDawg1785
July 5th, 2011
9:44 am
I can’t wait to see Lattimore trying to run up the middle on Georgia like he did last year. He’s in for a 360-lb. smack in the face from Big John!
" Hot " seat
July 5th, 2011
9:47 am
`
. . . gotta beat boise state in the GEORGIA dome . . .
.
sandman053
July 5th, 2011
9:50 am
I know Lattimore is a load, but I also think this defense wants another shot at him this year. I am sure the press clippings from last season will appear that week prior to the game for motivational reasons.
Bali
July 5th, 2011
9:51 am
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting frustrated with having these types of prognostications around this time every year for the past few years, only to have expectations not met on the field. The optimism is usually there with the dawg nation, but it seems there’s been a hint of dread in the background. I guess I’ve lost some confidence in our coaches, as bad as I don’t want that to be the case. Win or lose, I’m back every year with the rest of the die hards. But until I put in my app for the HC job, I’m just gonna shut up and watch some dam football………..Go Dawgs!
James
July 5th, 2011
9:59 am
I just can’t wait to see the little Broncos get skull drug up and down the field.
RxDawg
July 5th, 2011
10:01 am
I’m excited for Arther Lynch to get his shot. I still remember that catch and destruction of the poor safety during last years G-day game. I think Lynch needs to be on the field.
UGA '05
July 5th, 2011
10:03 am
@JDawg,
Dont forget Kwame Geathers. The ponies definately wont move the ball against the both of them
footballfan-365
July 5th, 2011
10:03 am
you guys take shots at the coaches yet a few of you a saying ” add 20lbs to lynch and move him to tackle” that is the dumbest thing I have seen posted on these blogs. The first game is 2 mths away and you want to move a kid who has played te his whole life to the most important position on the oline? Let the coaches coach and you keep your day job.
big john 360 lbs
July 5th, 2011
10:06 am
Arthur Lynch will be another Tripp Chandler. He’ll basically have his senior year to prove what he can do. I hope he does more than Tripp did. I like the look of this kid, he’s got some pipes. He and Jay Rome will be our future.
Trojan
July 5th, 2011
10:09 am
Bobo will throw to Charles once in the first half and then forget about him. Bobo’s play calling is crazy.
moleman
July 5th, 2011
10:10 am
Boise 38-17; all i see every time i go to these loser UGA posts is the past…coach BVG…Dooley…Herschel…what we did in the early 2000’s with Donnen’s recruits…Goldberg…Moreno jumping over some MAC directional school player…ESPN doesn’t respect us…we outplayed Bama in the second half of the Blackout fiasco…we would have killed LSU in 2007…Florida has a losing record against us all-time (a favorite of mine)…BOTTM LINE: UGA IS A MID-PACK SEC PROGRAM>>>THE CLEMSON OF THE SEC…
Dawg Days
July 5th, 2011
10:13 am
The offense will only be as good as Booboo’s play calling, if he mixes it up, then the TE’s get good looks, the WR’s will catch Murry’s balls, the OL is helped by an honest defense, and the RB’s will have a place to run. UGA’s problems on the possession side of the game isn’t its athletes, or lack or depth, its predictability, and thats been on Booboo for several years now!
CHDawg
July 5th, 2011
10:14 am
Bali, good advice, but don’t forget it is a fan blog. The comments are directly related to the level of fan interest. If the coaches want people to come to the game who are willing to collectively pay 100’s of millions to see the Dawgs, they have to expect demanding fans. Any of the coaches could become HS coaches and they wouldn’t have to read the “experts’” advice on the AJC. When you get paid millions to coach, you have to produce results. I would offer my humble opinion–TE is something we should all be optimistic about.
JDawg1785
July 5th, 2011
10:19 am
Amen, UGA ‘05! A defensive line weighing just under 1,000 pounds sounds good to me!
OldFan
July 5th, 2011
10:19 am
Got the players. Will we use them? Think how good we’d be at TE if we’d managed to sign Cam Newton.
DawginLex
July 5th, 2011
10:21 am
moleman,
Using the line “he won with someone else’s recruits” is the dumbest thing anyone can say.
Donnan had his chance and blew it. He said before the 2000 season “I have waited my entire life to coach a team like this.” He then went out and lost to a SC team that was 0-11 the year before. Plus he hid Quincy Carter from all of us because the truth would have been too painful. Remember the thumb injury? Yeah right.
Richt came in and won the SEC. Donnan would have lost to Auburn and we would be sitting here today having not won the SEc since 1982.
You can blow all the sheet out of your piehole that you want to. Bottom line is Richt has raised the bar and now is a victim of his own success.
He must win in 2011 or he will be gone.
DawginLex
July 5th, 2011
10:23 am
moleman
Your lack of intelligence shows when you compare UGA to clempson.
When is clempson’s last ACC title?
When is clempson’s ast BCS bowl win?
When is clempson’s last top 10 ranking?
just STFU and go crawl back into your double wide
sandman053
July 5th, 2011
10:25 am
Speaking of Clempson…I am sure looking forward to going to Death Valley in a couple of years.
Also a great joke I heard….what did the College World Series and the US Open have in common?
No Tigers in either one. lol
kody
July 5th, 2011
10:29 am
1953 dawg, your statement “Charles will turn pro after this year, and you certainly can’t blame him. As a matter of fact the reason all the top talent in the UGA program turn pro early is to get away from Bobo, Richt, and the terrible coaching they receive while at UGA” is contradictory and has no merit. All of the players you mention could’ve gone most anywhere they wanted to play football, they along with their families chose to come play for Mark Richt, because he such a bad coach? If he was such a horrible clown of a coach why would this elite talent come to Georgia and play for him to begin with? Never heard anyone from the NFL say anything negative about the preparedness of Richts players when they arrive in the league.
WDE
July 5th, 2011
10:30 am
@moleman UGA might be a mid tier SEC team, that would make them champs in the MTN West..every year.
MountainDawg
July 5th, 2011
10:30 am
CMR & CMB haven’t utilized the TEs or FBs enough in recent seasons. You need to shift focus from the TBs & WR corps more to keep defenses on their toes. BTW, don’t forget Troy Sadowski…former UGA TE who played 8 seasons in the NFL.
UGA is in my blood
July 5th, 2011
10:30 am
I honestly believe Orson could contribute in our offense as an optional slot receiver. We could run a one back set, with Crowell as the primary back; put Tavarres out at flanker and run a double tight with Aron and Jay. Alternate Aron or Jay out with Marlon or Rantavious; like back and forth between a twin set and regular one back/slot set. Or just put Orson at H-back/Wing Back with with Marlon and Taverres both split on each side. I should be on staff…lol…j/k
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
10:44 am
DIL, mighty fine comment on the ppg allowed. I stated on the blog over the weekend (and then had to fend off some guy popting at 17 different people) that Bobo could call the exact same game plan and if the defense was only marginally better, they win 9-10 games. HOWEVER, having a more expereinced QB, I am poistive he does not call the same thing. (putting aside the discussion that he doesnt really “call” the results of the play in the first place).
Somebody bent out of shape about that comment, but could come up with absolutely nothing to dispute it, despite me specifically asking him to.
In UGA wins last year, they outscored thier opponent something like 47-16, best in the league. But in the losses they were outscored by a margin of 8. And in the losses that defined the season is was 3.
Obviously, it was the lack of scoring in some games that are most memorable, but giving up a few less points WOULD have been a 9-10 win season as well.
sandman053
July 5th, 2011
10:46 am
I think our defense wins us three more games this year…throw in more experience at QB especially handling pressure in big games maybe one or two more….it has the potential to be a special season..I’ll book my room in New Orleans on September 11th.
mgdawg
July 5th, 2011
10:54 am
I don’t think orson charles has been under utilized, I think he has been inconsistent. In some games he blows up and shows that he is athletically the best player on the field, other games he just looks like everybody else. He should’ve shined last year more then he did with Green and durham on the outside occupying the defensive backs, but consistently he did not do so. He’s going to have to live up to his potential this year for UGA to have a shot at the SEC east.
Uuugh
July 5th, 2011
10:58 am
Agree with Lex about BVG to a point. Our defense did bail us out a bunch back then…and it made for a fun game to watch because something could break our way on Defense at any given moment. That was not the case in the bend and bend and bend then break Martinez era. D looked much better last year–at times. I expect the improvement to continue.
It is not Bobo that is the problem on offense. The problem is that we haven’t changed anything! Every DC in the SEC knows every one of our plays. They not only know our plays but they know our check downs too. So they can use a defensive formation that they know will cause us to check into a run play knowing exactly what is coming, then drill us. It is just sad at this point. It has been going on for years–we just happened to have a few guys that were that much better than the players on the other team. Not the case anymore.
Finally to the TEs. Yeah–they could be awesome this year. Or our O-Line could be so bad that we have to use the TE’s to stay and block on every run and pass play. I am hoping the Oline suprises me. Seems like we recruit Oline as an after thought. We never put a premium on getting the best linemen available. You’d think that Richt would understand that Oline is the foundation of the entire pass happy Offense!
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
10:58 am
Thanks Trojon. Next time we need completely inaccurate information, we know who to call. Charles had multiple reception, in all but a few games of his career. The UF game comes to mind as one. 6 rec, 108 yrd (double what AJ had in that one).
He is the top “guy who catches passes” returning on this team even compared to any true WR, certainly the TE position is.
Joey
July 5th, 2011
11:00 am
“We are running the same stuff we have run for 10 years.”
*********************************
That is correct, and a little enlightning as to how good DCs shut us down.
It’s also correct that if the D had allowed only 15 points per game last season, we still woulda lost 3 games.
Hopefully Richt has some new tricks up his sleeve this season.
Uuugh
July 5th, 2011
11:05 am
Well apparently McGarrity freed up some time for Richt to “study the game.” Sweet.
cattle dawg
July 5th, 2011
11:07 am
Didnt we have this same conversation last year about charles and the TE position. i know the offense put up points last year but Im just not a believer in BoBo. I think Mark wrote an article last year about how when evrything is going good he will try and get cute. Then just keep running the same plays over and over when they dont work.Moving on, I cant wait till kickoff is here. I will be at the dome.
virginia dog
July 5th, 2011
11:08 am
This really goes back to the O-line, but a new strength and conditioning coach will show up in the O – line this years.
In the last few years our O -line was not in shape and where just not a strong as our top SEC competition. I was told in my youth by a football coach that was a Marine… “fatigue makes cowards of us all.” and that is damn sure right. It also makes cowards in the trenches playing big time football. Those big wins in October are being won right or lost right now. Because offensive lineman are built not recruited.
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
11:10 am
And imagine the scorn of only winning 10 games last year with a freshman QB, and practically no running game, and AJ out.
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
11:14 am
I do believe that would have won the East division as well.
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
11:17 am
And JB those 3 games, would have been by a combined 15 points. I don’t think that is exactly a case of why we needed a complete overhaul of the offense. I’d say it makes the point that they needed to execute about 5-10% better.
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
11:19 am
oops, I meant Joey.
Uuugh
July 5th, 2011
11:19 am
Just change the plays that we check into based on a certain defensive formations! That would be enough.
DawginLex
July 5th, 2011
11:20 am
The problem with the offense IMO is the mindset of the coaches instilled into the players. 4th down and 1 at the opponents 24 yard line-do you kick a FG or go for it? Are we a running team or a passing team? Can we become a power team with a suspect OL and mediocre running backs?
The defense better be ready to stop some folks or we are in trouble
John Galt
July 5th, 2011
11:22 am
Lynch to OT, Rome (for just this year) to WR. Get the best athletes on the field-
Joey
July 5th, 2011
11:29 am
Did I call for a “complete overhaul?”
I just think it would be productive having a OC that can keep opposing SEC defenses guessing, instead of an OC that can’t even keep me guessing . . .
Athdawg
July 5th, 2011
11:36 am
Since Richt has that “extra time” on his hands to concentrate on football, he needs to find out when…..
1. The last time Ga blocked a punt?
2. The last time Ga faked a field goal?
3. The last time Ga used clock management to score with 2 minutes to play before the half?
4. The last time Ga ran the No Huddle?
5. The last time our Head Coach showed some motivation, fire and enthusiasm in the locker room and on the sidelines?
6. The last time Ga showed a creative offense?
7. The last time our Coaches took the blame?
8. The last time we did the unexpected, instead of the obvious.
9. The last time Richt actually said in public the words “win a Championship”?
Richt/Bobo run a scripted offense that is very predictable. Richt was hired because he was very smart offensively at FSU. Now, he calls plays not to lose, instead of to win. I sure hope we have some tricks up our sleeve during each game to keep the other team on their toes.
Jim Bob
July 5th, 2011
11:37 am
Charles is very talented but undersized as a true tight-end. I’m not convinced he’s the best tight-end on the team –I actually think Figgins is a better tight-end than Charles as for the blocking –and he’s not a bad pass-catcher either.
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
11:37 am
Firing and replacing the OC would be a pretty big overhaul. But no, you didn’t use that exact term. I just made an assumption. My apologies if that wasn’t correct.
AltamahaDawg
July 5th, 2011
11:40 am
I’d rather we just ran the scripted offense the way it was supposed to be run, and stop worrying about how we can “trick” somebody. Nobody else does.
Michael Vick Nike Bi**
July 5th, 2011
11:42 am
The talent to win the East is here! Unfortunately the coaching is not! The big question, after Georgia loses 5 games this year, will be who will coach the Bulldogs next year?
Kirby Smart
Boise’ coach
TCU’s coach
Dark horse guy is FIU’s coach! Former Miami player has a good program at FIU and can recruit the hell outta S Florida!
Jim Bob
July 5th, 2011
11:42 am
Athdawg
See below:
1. The last time Ga blocked a punt? Not lately
2. The last time Ga faked a field goal? Not latley
3. The last time Ga used clock management to score with 2 minutes to play before the half? Not lately
4. The last time Ga ran the No Huddle? 2005??
5. The last time our Head Coach showed some motivation, fire and enthusiasm in the locker room and on the sidelines? Not sure about the locker room. Grantham did a pretty good job of this last yr though.
6. The last time Ga showed a creative offense? 2007 @ AU
7. The last time our Coaches took the blame? 2009 –Willie Martinez
8. The last time we did the unexpected, instead of the obvious. Not lately, and won’t happen again (consistantly) until someone besides Bobo is calling the plays.
9. The last time Richt actually said in public the words “win a Championship”? He’s done this frequently.
oldguy
July 5th, 2011
11:46 am
I don’t think that Murray is going to be able to utilize the TE position as a pocket passer might be able to in this offensive package. Murray’s problems out of the play action are an obvious hole in the offensive scheme. You can say that is because of the lack of a run game but I would argue that it is Murray’s inability to pass the ball over the middle that causes problems with the run game. If you are a defensive coordinator and you know that the QB can’t throw the seam route then you are able to do a good bit more to defend the run with the linebackers. The bottom line is Murray can’t see over the line to throw the ball out of the pocket and that is a fatal flaw in Bobo’s offense. I hope this gapping hole has been addressed by the coaching staff but they can’t make Murray 2 to 3 inches taller. Here’s to hoping we have great defensive play! Go Dawgs!
Jim Bob
July 5th, 2011
11:47 am
.Michael Vick Nike Bi**
I sure hope it’s not Kirby Smart. All he’s ever proved to me is he can run Saban’s Defense with Saban there to fall back on & get dragged up & down the football field.
Boise & TCU coaches will not be the next coach @ UGA.
I hope RIght pulls it together…We will see soon enough.
Jim Bob
July 5th, 2011
11:50 am
oldguy
Very well said. I agree & have said this all along –even when they recruited Murray. He’s a heck of a talent but the fact is he’s too short to make a great QB –especially in the SEC where opposiing Defenses are always fast & strong.
Whiskey Breath
July 5th, 2011
11:54 am
Does Richt really know how to use the tight end? Yea, I can see Bobo throwing to the tight end. Right now they don’t know if they should run it or pass it. They don’t know it, but unless that line get’s solidfied, they want have a choice.
UGA Insider
July 5th, 2011
11:57 am
I think CMR has 2 more years in the tank tops. Chris Peterson will be the guy in 2013 or 2014. Adams will never fire CMR out of respect. Adams has a cash cow and does not want to upset the gravy train. I had heard some nasty rumors a few months ago from other UGA coaches(non football) that CMR basically had a 2 game season. If he went 0-2 he would be fired but I don’t belive that anymore.